The Bad Guy
by phoenixtearsandfeathers
Summary: When Hermione gets asked to dance by Zacharias Smith, Draco watches from afar... for a while. Oneshot. Inspired by Finger Eleven's 'Paralyzer'


The room was a little darker than she'd expected, but the Hufflepuffs being badgers should've reminded Hermione that they would not be getting the warm, light filled common room she was used to. Instead, they were led to an area near the kitchens. A password was whispered to a brick on a wall with no portrait, and before they knew it, Hermione and the other two thirds of the Golden Trio had slipped into the space belonging to the badgers. A party was going on to celebrate Hufflepuff's victory over Ravenclaw and everyone had been invited – even the Ravenclaws, though Hermione didn't see any but Padma Patil present.

It wasn't a small party, and the trio were actually surprised at the amount of people that showed up. It was a good time, though, and it was already in full blast by the time they arrived. After the wall slid open to accept them, they had been led through a short tunnel, greeted immediately by Zacharias Smith-still in his quidditch uniform, who shoved glasses of Firewhiskey in their hands and began speaking rapidly.

"Alright, so we try to have fun here. We only have a couple rules. No getting it on in a bed that's not yours or your partners, drink plenty, and have fun," he grinned at the three. "Good match, eh?"

The boys both nodded, while Hermione offered her congratulations.

Zacharias eyed her for a moment, glancing over her outfit before turning to reply to something Ron said. It was a party, so everyone had gotten to dress for the occasion. Hermione never really had the outfits for all of the parties at Hogwarts and had just planned on dressing up her school uniform, like a few of the students had done. Ginny, however, had intervened and offered her fellow Gryffindor an outfit. It consisted of a solid, black skirt that fit her quite nicely and a dressy red top. She'd adorned golden jewelry to add to the student colors look.

Hermione shook her head upon realizing that the conversation was going to steer to quidditch, "I'm going to go talk to Susan." She had just turned when a hand on her shoulder stopped her. It was Zacharias.

"Save me a dance, Granger."

She smiled and nodded, eyes flitting to Ron. "Sure."

* * *

Draco Malfoy loved parties. He was the party guy if anyone asked, and such facts were why he did not question the curious looks he got at the Hufflepuff party. It was not because he was at the party, as there were plenty of Slytherins there – mostly for the alcohol and sex, but it was because he was in a bad mood. He'd just recently dumped Pansy again, and he regretted it every time he did it. It wasn't because he felt bad, it was because she was just so terrible to deal with every time he did it. She constantly pointed out that they weren't together, but then she whined whenever he got near another girl. He'd spoken with Daphne Greengrass about homework and Pansy hadn't finished yelling at her yet. That had been fifteen minutes ago.

That is why Draco stood in the corner with a drink in hand, nose crinkled at the common room they were currently in as he watched people. He spied Harry and Ron immediately, but he didn't want to start anything. His current project had him exhausted, and he didn't want to deal with any of that. Not to mention, Potter kept trying to flag him down lately and corner him. He didn't want that either. He wasn't even doing anything questionable tonight. He raised a brow at the absence of Granger but immediately spotted her helping to hold up a wasted Susan Bones.

Draco snorted at that, watching as the top of their class set her drink down to help the Hufflepuff down the corridor that would lead to the rooms. Absentmindedly, Draco brought his attention back to where the girls had been standing and cocked his head at Zacharias Smith, who had appeared next to Hermione's drink. The blond fingered the rim before taking a glance around.

_How interesting_, Draco smirked.

Next, Zacharias mouthed something quietly, pointing his wand at the glass. It glowed for a moment before returning to its normal color and right before Hermione returned.

Draco gaped. Well, not gaped. Malfoys didn't gape. He was, however, surprised at the Hufflepuff's gall. Draco was aware that the Hufflepuff would never be able to fuck Granger without a little help due to how much virtue he believed she was holding onto, but he didn't think he would stoop that low. He rolled his eyes, _What does Smith even see in Granger?_

His eyes returned to Hermione once more, this time aimed lower, tracing her figure. He was impressed with what was presented to him. Apparently the Gryffindor had an actual body underneath the frumpy grandmother sweaters she constantly wore. Taking a sip, he continued to discover more things he noticed, like her hair not being as ugly as it used to. He was so caught up in her that he wasn't even aware she'd put her glass to her lips before it was too late.

* * *

Firewhiskey tasted a lot different than Hermione had remembered, but she gulped half her glass down. Zacharias Smith was being quite friendly tonight. He kept telling her jokes, so she laughed in the right places and when a song she really enjoyed came on, she didn't reject the hand the blond held out to her. Though she didn't share it, the brunette really enjoyed dancing. This song happened to be a bit more upbeat and Zacharias was dancing closely. She wasn't really sure what pushed her, but she danced a little closer as well, eyes nonchalantly looking around the room. A minute into the dance, Zacharias had his hands on her hips, and she had yet to spot any Ginger hair. When Zacharias leaned his face a little closer, Hermione spun around, trying to make it look like part of the dance. Her back was to him now, so she missed the once over he gave her lower half and how he moved even closer. Her eyes scanned the room as she moved and she finally locked eyes with someone. Though it wasn't the one she had been looking for.

Draco Malfoy stood in a corner staring right at her. He didn't get nervous when she caught him watching though. He just continued to watch. He pulled his drink away from his lips and Hermione saw that he was smirking. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously but chose to ignore him when the head of hair she had been looking for came into sight. She turned back to Zacharias, smiling at him.

"Need another drink, Granger?" He breathed in her ear.

"Sure," she said, needing a bit of space. Zacharias was nice, but in retrospect, she hardly knew him. This was just to get a certain Gryffindor's attention.

He smirked and walked away, leaving Hermione free to look for Ron. If the shouts of victory from the side of the room where he played butterbeer pong were anything, it was a confirmation that he hadn't seen anything.

She sighed, turning away from the scene in disappointment. She took a deep breath. How Ronald managed to upset her without even speaking to her reminded her of the many occasions where he had done the upsetting. Why was she even trying to make Ron jealous? He didn't care.

Her eyes scanned the room to get her mind off of things, coming into contact, once again, with Draco Malfoy. She cocked her head to the side, brows furrowed as she watched him lean against the wall, eyeing her.

Draco was a notorious party boy, and he wasn't even talking to anyone. Not to mention, he was spending this party staring at her. She briefly wondered if he'd spelled some horrible word or phrase onto her shirt and looked down at herself. Why the heck was he staring? She huffed, deciding she was going to find out.

With eyes that seemed to capture each step she took, he watched as she walked over.

"What do you want?"

"You're the one who won't stop looking at me. What'd you do Malfoy?" She asked, a rush of adrenaline going through her so unexpectedly, she felt her temperature rising. She belatedly would relate that to the multiple drinks she'd consumed already. "What? Am I going to wake up with 'Gryffindork' tattooed across my forehead? Or is It already there?"

"Calm down, Granger. I just happened to notice you is all."

She paused. "Notice me?" Trying to use some of the energy that seemed to be flowing through her, she ran her fingers through her hair and took a deep breath.

* * *

Draco Malfoy was no Zacharias Smith, and he took no joy in spelling girls drinks or anything like that, but he could not resist messing with the beginnings of a drugged Hermione Granger. "Well," he began, moving off of the wall he'd been leaning on to take a step closer. He could see the internal conflict pass across her face as she decided to remain rooted to her current spot as he continued to move towards her. "By notice, I mean…" He sucked in a quiet breath, hoping she didn't hex him and ruin his game. "I _noticed_…" Running a finger down the dressy, red top she sported, he traced her right side, looking her dead in the eye when he did so.

Hermione stood, paralyzed, while she watched and felt Draco Malfoy run his finger down her side. "Malfoy…" She warned, moving away from the hand touching her when it grazed her breast.

"Yes, Granger?"

"It's just a shirt," she said, trying to keep her voice from wavering. She put her hands on her hips, trying to hide the fact that her arms were now covered in chill bumps, attributing it to the adrenaline rush.

"A very nice shirt… very Gryffindor," he rolled his eyes. "I was watching you because I didn't think you could dance, nor did I believe you would grind on anyone…let alone Smith."

"I wasn't grinding-"

"Yes, you were," he said, noting the effect of the spell Smith had placed on her drink. "You didn't notice you were all over each other?" He raised a brow. "Don't you think that's funny?"

She laughed. "I guess that is kind of funny." She looked at him for a moment. "Why aren't you dancing?"

He tried to ignore the fact that he was having a civil conversation with Hermione Granger and glanced around, breathing a sigh of relief that Pansy seemed to have vacated the party. "Not in the mood."

"Just in the mood to watch, huh?" She blushed instantly, hearing the possible euphemism before she'd even finished speaking.

"Well I do enjoy watching," he said, enjoying the darker red that spread across her cheeks as she avoided contact. "I actually love participating, but unfortunately, I was distracted."

She bit her lip, "Well-"

"There you are."

Draco and Hermione turned to see Zacharias Smith with two glasses in his hand. "Been looking for you. Here."

He handed the drink to her, and Hermione accepted it eagerly, taking a large gulp before sighing. "I think all of this alcohol is making me thirsty. I'm going to go get some water. You want anything?" She glanced at Malfoy so briefly, he wouldn't have caught it if he hadn't been looking before she sauntered off in the direction Zacharias had just come from.

Smith shook his head, watching her walk off before suddenly seeming to realize that Malfoy was there too. "Malfoy," he nodded.

"Shut up," Malfoy sneered. "You're a complete arse. Please tell me you plan on escorting Granger back to her common room, and you don't want her to blab the whole way there."

"Why?" Smith asked, eyes narrowed.

"Because I can't think of any other reason for you to spell a girl's drink." He looked in the direction Hermione had gone and saw her chatting a mile a minute to another Hufflepuff who looked completely lost. "Or drinks…" He felt his eyes narrow at the glass in her hand currently.

Smith grimaced. "I'm just trying to get her to lighten up… She seems like she'd be cool if she was-"

"Drugged."

Smith glared at him. "No. I just-"

"Let me finish. You just thought if you spelled her drink, she'd be more likely to sleep with you. Truth is, she's more likely to pass out than let an oaf like you shag her. You are a complete waste of space, and if I see you take Granger further than the bathroom door, I will see to it that the only space you waste is six feet under."

"Why do you care?" Zacharias frowned, looking more like a child who was told he wasn't allowed to eat anymore sweets before dinner than someone being accused of spelling a drink.

"Why do I care you badgery, little twat? Because I'm not a bad person," Draco said, trying to hide the surprised look on his face. He ignored Smith's exit as the realization hit him. He wasn't a bad person. He could stop bad things from happening. He looked up to where Zacharias had gone and saw that Hermione was leaning on him, but the blond was suddenly putting her at an arm length's distance. Draco smirked.

When he walked off, Draco watched Hermione look a little forlorn before she went back to the dance floor, this time by herself, and start to dance. She danced much like before, but this time, she was alone. He watched her and stiffened a little, eyes following her hips from side to side, tracing up the side of the blouse he'd run his fingers down only moments ago. And when he'd moved his eyes from her legs, to her dressy top, to her face, he was met with her curious gaze. Hermione Granger, under the influence, was actually quite pretty, he acknowledged as he watched caramel orbs watch him back.

That's when it clicked. He wasn't a bad guy. He wasn't a bad guy, and the person to remind him of that was Hermione Granger.

Without thinking, he set his drink down and started walking to her, moving past different bodies that were bumping and grinding. Before he knew it, he was right next to her and she'd stopped dancing. "Come here," he said, taking a hold of her hand, easily pulling her through the crowd and into a random door. He looked around the room he'd pulled her in to see if it was empty and then he pushed her against a wall, putting his lips on hers.

He wasn't sure she'd respond, but he was sure that she wouldn't remember. It wasn't until her mouth began to move against his that he put his hands on her sides and deepened the kiss. "Thank you…" he murmured, lips still against hers as he pulled his wand out of his pocket slowly before pointing it to her temple. "Obliviate."

* * *

He wandered back to his common room after depositing Hermione on one of the beds the room they'd entered had occupied. Ignoring Pansy's cries of 'where have _you_ been' and 'why are you getting back so late', he walked to his dorm. Slipping his shoes off, he relieved himself of his outer robe, tossing it onto his bed before noticing the envelope that lie in wait. He checked for any seal breaks before opening it and pulled out the letter. It was short and to the point.

_Dearest Draco,_

_Congratulations on your success with the cabinet so far. We wish you the best of luck with part two of your assignment. Be safe. Be strong. We love you._

_Mother and Father_

Draco swallowed the lump in his throat. "I'm not a bad guy… am I?" The empty dormitory did not answer, though. His lip quivered slightly at the letter. "I'll prove it," he said to himself quietly. "I'll prove it one day. Somehow."

* * *

The next time he saw Hermione was in potions, two days later as the class moved to the front to assemble their ingredients. She looked at him briefly, brows furrowing in what looked like confusion.

He smirked at her, taking the advantage of her not knowing anything to rake his eyes down her side, recalling the texture of her dressy top and the curve his finger followed.

She straightened as she watched the line his eyes followed, narrowing her own eyes at him in suspicion.

There was no response given besides the look, so Draco walked away after collecting the correct amount of phosphorous beans. However, if he had looked back, he may have been able to see Hermione's fingertips graze her lips, gazing at his back as he walked away.


End file.
